An Indian entrepreneur’s agricultural waste recycling project is among the winners of the innaugral Earthshot Prize. Vidyut Mohan’s cheap technology to convert crop residues into sellable bio-products was among the two entries from India for the event. His company Takachar won the “Clean our Air” prize. Air pollution in India’s northern states soars up during the winter months as farmers set paddy stubble on fire toward the end of harvesting season.

A 14-year-old Tamil Nadu school girl’s solar-powered ironing cart project was also among the 15 finalists.

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The five winners received a prize of $1.4 million each. Each of the finalists chosen from more than 750 nominations will receive help from companies to develop their projects.

The Republic of Costa Rica picked up the “Protect and Restore Nature” award for its efforts to protect forests, plant trees and restore ecosystems.

“We receive this recognition with pride but humility, what we have achieved in this small country in Central America can be done anywhere,” said Costa Rican President Carlos Alvarado.

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The other winners included Coral Vita, from the Bahamas, for a project to grow coral in tanks, 50 times quick than coral normally grows.

The Italian city of Milan won the “Food Waste Hubs” award for collecting and giving unused food to people who need it most.

The “Fix our Climate” prize went to a joint Thai-German-Italian team for the AEM Electrolyzer, which uses renewable energy to make clean hydrogen by splitting water into its constituent elements.

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The ceremony featured performances from Coldplay, Ed Sheeran, KSI with Yemi Alade, and Shawn Mendes.

The Earthshot Prize was inspired by US president John F Kennedy’s “Moonshot” project in the 1960s to put a man on the moon.

Launched in October last year by Prince William, Earthshot covers five areas: how to protect and restore nature, clean air, revive oceans, build a waste-free world, and fix climate.